‘Rare’ tropical cyclone thrashes South-East Asia as death toll hits 115
The death toll is expected to continue rising after a week of record-breaking rain, flash flooding and a “rare” tropical cyclone. ⌘ Read more

Man accused of student’s murder acted in ‘chillingly premeditated’ way, court hears
The jury in the trial of a Tiwi Islands man accused of murdering an international student in Darwin hears final arguments from the prosecution and the defence. ⌘ Read more

A crystal Fabergé egg is expected to sell for more than $40 million
The egg is covered in a snowflake motif. It was designed to open up to reveal a surprise — an intricately made bouquet of flowers. ⌘ Read more

Canada Rolls Back Climate Rules To Boost Investments
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed an agreement with Alberta’s premier that will roll back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast. From a report: Under the agreement, which was signed on Thursday, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil … ⌘ Read more

Bondi stabbing victims’ families urge inquest to address ‘failings’
A lawyer representing one of the bereaved families took aim at the owner and operator of Westfield, saying they were “extremely disappointed”. ⌘ Read more

Roos coach sheds light on ‘really difficult’ AFLW grand final omission
North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker says telling Mia King she isn’t going to play in the AFLW grand final is “one of the harder conversations” he’s had to have. ⌘ Read more

Embattled Aboriginal corporation to oversee cultural services at Rottnest Island
A strife-torn Aboriginal corporation crucial to heritage approvals across Perth wins a contract to oversee cultural services on Rottnest Island, Wadjemup, one of Western Australia’s premier tourism destinations. ⌘ Read more

Travel company embroiled in overcharging scandal worth more than $100m
Corporate Travel Management helps arrange travel bookings for clients ranging from Wesfarmers to the Australian government. ⌘ Read more

Fresh charge for Pheobe Bishop accused
Kieren Daniel Mittelheuser has been charged with attempting to pervert justice, along with accessory to murder. ⌘ Read more

Education department and bus company charged over child’s access to engine coolant
Tasmania’s education department and a bus company have both appeared in court after a child with a disability was allegedly left unattended on a bus with access to a bottle of engine coolant in a plastic water bottle. ⌘ Read more

Controversy over City of Perth’s $125,000 workplace culture review
Internal revolt intensifies at the City of Perth over the newly elected lord mayor’s pursuit of a ratepayer-funded workplace culture review, in a process deemed unlawful by his own administration. ⌘ Read more

Man allegedly travelled with $2.75m drug haul on bus from Melbourne to Adelaide
Police say a man has been charged for allegedly carrying $2.75 million worth of illicit drugs while travelling on a bus from Melbourne to Adelaide overnight. ⌘ Read more

Husband leads tribute ride for prison officers after losing wife to cancer
A man mourning the loss of his wife, a fellow correctional officer, leads more than 300 prison staff on a ride honouring the lives of colleagues who have died in New South Wales. ⌘ Read more

Breaking: No Cummins as Australia picks unchanged squad for second Ashes Test
Australia will go into the second Ashes Test against England in Brisbane next week with an unchanged line-up, meaning there is no place for captain Pat Cummins. ⌘ Read more

Third renewable energy company discovers asbestos in wind farm turbine lifts
An anti-asbestos advocate wants a review of import supply chains after a third renewable energy company confirmed the discovery of asbestos in wind farm turbine lifts. ⌘ Read more

Education department charged after student severs fingers in guillotine
WorkSafe Victoria has charged the Department of Education after a Beechworth Secondary College student “severed” his fingertips in a guillotine. ⌘ Read more

US Patent Office Issues New Guidelines For AI-Assisted Inventions
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued new guidelines outlining when inventions created with the help of AI can be patented. From a report: USPTO Director John Squires said on Wednesday in a notice set to be published Friday, that the office considers generative AI systems to be “analogous to laboratory equipment, computer software, res … ⌘ Read more

Breaking: Police operation underway in Western Sydney after public place shooting
NSW Police said in a statement there was no threat to the public but the community was urged to avoid the area. ⌘ Read more

Dairy ‘disrupter’ who invented spreadable butter in 70s wins science award
An 86-year-old dairy farmer claims this year’s Dairy Science Award for his spreadable butter invention in the early 70s. ⌘ Read more

‘Moral distress’: Nurses, doctors groups warn policy puts ambulance patients ahead of drop-ins
Medical experts fear sick or injured Tasmanians who make their own way to emergency departments wait longer than others, due to pressures to fast-track ambulance patients. ⌘ Read more

Crime scenes declared in North Qld over man’s suspicious disappearance
Wayne Pedro Morseu was reported missing on December 10, with police now upgrading his disappearance to suspicious. ⌘ Read more

Ex-Townsville mayor’s campaign lies prompt review of local government laws
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has responded to the findings of a corruption investigation into former Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson. ⌘ Read more

French prisoners escape jail using saw and bedsheets
The fugitives broke out of the prison in the eastern city of Dijon in the early hours of Thrusday, local time, and 100 police officers are on their trail. ⌘ Read more

Victorian opposition leader targets domestic violence in first policy
Jess Wilson has announced her first policy as leader of the Liberal Party, promising to introduce legislation criminalising coercive control in Victoria. ⌘ Read more

Epic’s Sweeney Says Platforms Should Stop Tagging Games Made With AI
The CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, has argued that platforms like Steam should not label games that are made using AI. From a report: Responding to a post on Twitter from a user who suggested that storefronts drop this tag, the industry exec said that it “makes no sense” to flag such content. Sweeney added that soon AI will be a part of … ⌘ Read more

Conditions put on Monash IVF in Victoria after embryo bungles
Monash IVF has been ordered to be more rigorous when checking the biological origin of embryos to avoid more mix-ups, in order to stay registered in Victoria. ⌘ Read more

Politics and property — why the regulator was forced to act on investor loans
It’s been called a bubble for more than 15 years but the great Aussie housing price boom has barely skipped a beat, as regulators eye the threat of risky loans. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong fires prompt anger, questions about construction safety
Just months ago, Hong Kong leaders were dismissing calls for a total ban on bamboo scaffolding on construction sites. Now they are facing one of the region’s worst building-fire catastrophes, and anger is growing. ⌘ Read more

Discovery of near century-old scrapbooks reveals seaweed secrets
The State Library of WA is running an appeal to save a set of seaweed scrapbooks made nearly 100 years ago by a renowned Kalgoorlie-born naturalist. ⌘ Read more

Everything you need to know ahead of the 2025 AFLW grand final
Wondering what time the AFLW grand final starts and how you can watch it live? We’ve got you covered. ⌘ Read more

Social Media Giants Liable For Financial Scams Under New EU Law
Platforms including Meta and TikTok will be held liable for financial fraud for the first time under new rules agreed by EU lawmakers in the early hours of Thursday. From a report: The Parliament and Council agreed on the package of rules after eight hours of negotiations to strengthen safeguards against payment fraud. The deal adds another layer o … ⌘ Read more

Regional pharmacist wins award for dedication to patients and community
A north-west Victorian pharmacist is being celebrated for his contribution to his local community after winning an award for going the “extra mile”. ⌘ Read more

Why you could be paying more for your Christmas prawns this year
Wild-caught Aussie prawn fishers are reporting a tough catch season. Here’s what you need to know. ⌘ Read more

NSW Police officer guilty over death of Indigenous teen’s death in custody
Benedict Bryant had pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death over the crash in inner Sydney in February 2022, which killed Jai Wright. ⌘ Read more

Common antidepressant could help reduce domestic violence, study shows
The findings are significant not just because of how much the trial reduced domestic violence, but because only a few years ago it drew fierce criticism from women’s advocates and politicians. ⌘ Read more

Boatie who went missing twice died from ‘exposure to the sea’
A coroner has found Anthony Higgins, who went missing in 2020 sparking the largest and most expensive marine search in South Australian waters, died two weeks later when he went missing again. ⌘ Read more

France to reintroduce voluntary military service amid growing threat of war with Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron is reintroducing voluntary military service almost three decades after it was scrapped. ⌘ Read more

Court to test claims mining exploration fast-tracked at expense of native title
Traditional owners in WA’s north launch legal action against the state government claiming it is fast-tracking mining and exploration projects using “expedited procedure” approvals at cultural expense. ⌘ Read more

Fuzzy Zoeller, who beat Greg Norman to win 1984 US Open playoff, dies
Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died aged 74. ⌘ Read more

Victorian exhibition raises awareness about gender-based violence
A new exhibition in the Victorian city of Ballarat aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence through works contributed by victim-survivors. ⌘ Read more

ABC’s Adele Ferguson, Chris Gillett win Gold Walkley for childcare investigation
The pair’s investigation had an immediate impact on Australia’s childcare industry, resulting in the suspension of one centre and a raft of government policy changes and safety reforms. ⌘ Read more

What Amy and Estella want you to know about living with disability
Nineteen-year-old Estella Jones lives with a disability in her hometown of Tennant Creek, where she loves baking brownies, singing karaoke and spending time with good friends. ⌘ Read more

‘I had the uniform cut off me and it was the last time I ever wore it’
More than two years on from a serious crash that saw him medically retired, a former police officer says he can still hear the screech of tyres before the deafening bang of a car slamming into his police wagon. ⌘ Read more

United States to review all asylum cases approved under Biden
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says it has begun “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern”. ⌘ Read more

Broken down on the Birdsville Track in search of a cattle-carrying boat
The ABC’s Landline crew discovers extreme kindness with a can-do attitude after a mechanical breakdown in South Australia’s outback. ⌘ Read more

Will this $2.6 billion theme park succeed where others have failed?
A mega theme park and entertainment precinct has been proposed for a rural township between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. But will this one happen? ⌘ Read more

Australia Spent $62 Million To Update Its Weather Web Site and Made It Worse
quonset writes: Australia last updated their weather site a decade ago. In October, during one of the hottest days of the year, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) revealed its new web site and was immediately castigated for doing so. Complaints ranged from a confusing layout to not being able to find information. Farmers were parti … ⌘ Read more

Legal Aid NT rejected ‘exception for children’ in service cuts, memo shows
A leaked internal memo shows the board of the NT’s main legal aid service voted down a proposal to exempt children accused of crimes from sweeping service cuts. ⌘ Read more

Aussie cricket captain snubbed in lucrative WPL auction
All-rounder Deepti Sharma fetched the highest price at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction, while Australia captain Alyssa Healy, one of the marquee players up for grabs, went unsold. ⌘ Read more

Cherry season ‘weeks’ behind schedule as cold blasts put crops on ice
The latest casualty of a year with delayed crops has been the cherry, with cold weather in some growing regions setting the festive favourite ‘weeks’ behind schedule. ⌘ Read more